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Welcome to my Retro Nintendo Series, where I look at old Nintendo games and try to review them. Starting of course with the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES).

[Papabear Note: This is going to be my first in a two-part editorial/correspondence regarding the accusations often levied against furries. Traditionally, furries go on the defensive when faced with such criticism. Well, it's time to go on offense (at the risk of being offensive!)]

Dear Papabear,

I have a problem.

To start off, I found the Furry fandom about 8 months back when I was aimlessly skipping around the Internet. It just popped up in front of me, I looked it up, and … I fell in love with it. To me, the idea of furry was this perfect blend of imagination and wonder — something I’d always loved and, unknown to me at the time, always found refuge in. It turned my world on its ear to know that there were people out there that like this ‘outlandish’ concept as much as I do. But now, I’m scared.

You see, I want to tell people I know about this, but I’m terrified of being judged. I am one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and, with how the fandom’s portrayed, I don’t know if people will believe me or what they hear. I know I need to tell my parents (who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, too), yet I’m scared of what they will do. I love my parents, and I don’t want to hurt them by getting involved in something that they’ll believe will hurt me, but I don’t want to lose it. It’s been such a big part of me for as long as I can remember, and I don’t want to have to throw it all away — I love it. I’ve read how you responded to a similar situation, but it’s more than that.

I have not been in my right mind for a long time now. I suffer from depression and some form or another of mental instability. It’s terrible and tears me in half, but furry helps.  I don’t feel so horrid if I think about something furry or saw something furry earlier that day. I (for the most part) feel better than I have in a long time, but I can’t tell my father that furry things help me, he won’t accept it. (He’s not the kind to believe in something that isn’t quite traditional.) I don’t have any friends and it is hard to talk to people, but there, too, furry helps me.

So, above all, how do I show my parents all the good things that being a furry does for me without them thinking that I’m going astray morally or spiritually?

Uncertainly,
Rusty K. (age 16)

* * *

Dear Rusty,

Typically, when I receive a letter such as yours about being scared to tell parents one is a furry, it is because said parents are religious. The more religious they are, the worse it is, with the most problematic sects being Evangelicals, Southern Baptists (Baptists and Evangelicals being pretty much the same, but not all Evangelicals are Baptists by any means), and, lately, Jehovah Witnesses. I also get letters from Middle Eastern furries on occasion, and it's pretty safe to assume (though they usually don't mention it) that their parents are Muslims.

Lately, I have received several letters from kids whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses. Because their parents are JW's, they say they are too, which is typical for that young age to simply follow your parents' examples. On the spectrum of conservative-to-liberal religious denominations, JW's are on the very conservative side (FYI, the more liberal religions and denominations include Unitarian Universalists, Reformed Jews, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterians, Methodists, and United Church of Christ). In addition to Reformed and Conservative Judaism, the more liberal non-Christian religions are Wicca (definitely), Buddhists (although technically more a philosophy than a religion), and Baha'i (socially liberal but morally conservative). Wicca, by the way, is the fastest growing religion in the United States :)

Politically and/or religiously conservative people such as your parents typically pick out bad examples in the fandom and then generalize those bad examples to "prove" that all furries are bad. They also pick up on false news (e.g., the completely false rumor started by Republicans for political reasons that furries demand cat litter boxes in school bathrooms) and believe it as if it were Gospel.

What you're likely afraid of is that you will tell your Jehovah's Witness parents you are a furry, then they will go online, discover negative stories, and then lose their love or respect for you. You usually see stuff like "furries are pedos or zoophiles" or that they "want to be animals" (well, many do identify with animals, but that is too complicated phenomenon to explain adequately here).

None of that is really true. Are there pedos in the fandom? Are there zoos? Yes and yes. But they are not the norm and there are more pedos and zoos in the general population than in the fandom. What happens is that conservatives seek bad actors within the fandom and say that they are examples of what the fandom is all about. This is called "the hasty generalization fallacy" and is the argument that most furry haters make.

I can do the same thing to a Jehovah's Witness.

A quick google results in these stories about Jehovah's Witnesses and child abuse:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/jehovahs-witnesses-face-child-sex-abuse-investigation-in-australia/2015/08/14/d8a58eda-406e-11e5-9561-4b3dc93e3b9a_story.html
• https://www.wtaj.com/news/regional-news/former-cambria-county-man-others-charged-in-sex-abuse-of-19-children-ag-shapiro-announced/
• https://www.levylaw.com/jehovah-s-witness-sex-abuse-lawsuits/
• There are many more of these stories, but I'm not going to list them all. Just google "Jehovah's Witnesses child abuse" and you'll get a lot of search results.

Not only are there multiple cases of child abuse, but Jehovah's Witnesses have been accused of covering it up multiple times (similar to the Catholic Church covering up pedophilia among their priests). According to a Wikipedia article:

In some cases, members of Jehovah's Witnesses have been prevented or deterred from reporting child molestation to civil authorities. Particularly since around 2000, the Jehovah's Witnesses organization has been accused of covering up cases of child molestation committed by its members. In March 2001, Christianity Today printed an article reporting allegations that Jehovah's Witnesses' policies made reporting sexual abuse difficult for members, and did not conform to typical treatment of such cases. The article also included a response by representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Australian Royal Commission heard that an elder discouraged an abuse victim from going to the Commission by saying, "Do you really want to drag Jehovah's name through the mud?" In Ireland in 2016, two Jehovah's Witness elders were removed from their positions as punishment for reporting a child molester to the police after the London Branch legal department told them not to.

The BBC reported allegations of a cover-up in July 2002, in an episode of Panorama entitled "Suffer the Little Children." The report revealed that the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Watch Tower Society, requires all congregations to submit details of child abuse allegations and maintains an internal database on all cases of child abuse reported to them. It described one case where a child came forward to the elders of her congregation to report sexual abuse by her father, but was sent home, despite their having known for three years that her father was an abuser. When the girl eventually went to the police, her father was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

According to Witness spokesman J. R. Brown, Jehovah's Witnesses are not required to report crimes to elders before calling civil authorities. Victims and their families are free to call police, he said, although some don't choose to. The Watch Tower Society maintains a policy with no explicit requirement for elders to report all child abuse cases where such is not required by law. Elders are instructed to "leave matters in Jehovah's hands" if an abuser denies the accusations and there is no second witness available

​​The point is that if a Jehovah's Witness declares furries are zoos and immoral and gives one or two examples, it is very simple to give LOTS of examples of JWs being immoral. This can be done on an individual basis, too.

For example, there's this guy on YouTube named Richard Lorenzo Jr., a self-declared Jehovah's Witness, who posted this video called "The Shocking Dark Truth about the Furry Community" in which he says we are zoos and that we are trying to "convert" children to the dark immoral side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjjCBk-F1bA&t=400s What he does is take one video clip of one furry confessing they are a zoo. If you continue to watch the rather lengthy video, you'll see how he tries to take advantage of vulnerable teens and convince them to convert to Christianity. This is a typical ploy among proselytizers.

So, what can we do about that? Well, a 3-minute search on Mr. Lorenzo gives us this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=014rUVupyAU about what a fraud he is.

You can literally find stuff about almost anyone or anything online to trash people and groups. Doesn't mean those people or groups are sinners, agents of evil, immoral, or criminals. I am going to say right here and now that I have no clue whether or not Richard Lorenzo Jr. is a good or a bad man. And I will also go out on a limb and say most Jehovah's Witnesses are probably good people (same with Catholics or any other group of people). The point is not to make broad generalizations about anyone based on a bloody google search. That's stupid. Same with the "I heard it on the internet" or "someone told me this in a chat room."

Non-furries need to do likewise. Don't judge furries based on some garbage people are spreading online. I have been in this furry community for decades, and I can tell you that it is filled with wonderful people. The furry fandom is what you make of it. You can embrace it and love it, or you can trash it and use bad publicity to make money on your YouTube channel or get political contributions from ignorant parents of school children.

Your choice.

I apologize, Rusty, for using your letter to get on my soapbox and make a speech, but it needed saying.

Okay, so that addresses the fear your parents may have that being in the community will hurt you. To continue, as you noted yourself, the furry community can actually help you. Time and time again, furries have told me how being a furry has given them more confidence, has helped them to socialize, and has made them many friends. I'm one of them. There are actually studies, too, that being a furry helps people with who are on the autism spectrum. And being a furry helps you to explore yourself as a person by giving you the freedom and inspiration to try new things. I talk some about the benefits in my fairly recent article that was also written to a Jehovah's Witness.

Furry, as you attest yourself, makes you happy, and that is a good thing! It can help you make friends (also a good thing), help you with anxiety and depression, and also inspire creativity and imagination. Furries are also givers. They donate tens of thousands of dollars every year to charities (mostly through donations to sponsor charities at conventions). They also contribute to the economy (for example, big conventions like Anthrocon in Pittsburgh result in micro-booms in the local economy). 

There is nothing immoral about furry. There is even a Christian Furry group you can join if interested (and there are a couple of Christian groups on Telegram). I think it would be a good idea for you to contact one of those groups and ask them for a little help on discussing furry with your parents.

Is being a furry different and unconventional? Yes, of course! That's what makes it exciting and fun, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Your father, especially, needs to get over his fear of people who are not ordinary. Remember, it is not the ordinary people who make a difference in the world.

Dare to be extraordinary.

Hope this helps!
Papabear​​

One of the surprise hits at this year’s Cannes Film Festival was an animated film called Flow. It’s a CGI feature written and directed by Gints Zilbalodis, which features no humans and no dialogue. The synopsis goes like this: “The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as his home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world.” And now, Cartoon Brew have let us know that Sideshow Pictures and Janus films have picked up Flow for distribution in North America.

image c. 2024 Sideshow / Janus Films

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

New Releases for the week of May 27-June 2, 2024:

• JustAxe (PC) - May 27
• The Rogue Prince of Persia (PC early access) - May 27
• Ultimate Godspeed (PC) - May 27
• Seed of Life (PS5) - May 27
• Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling (Switch) - May 28
• MultiVersus (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC) - May 28
• Old World (PC) - May 28
• Reus 2 (PC) - May 28
• Capes (PS5) - May 29
• Nine Sols (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) — May 29
• Madzik (PC) - May 30
• Astor: Blade of the Monolith (PS5, PS4) - May 30
• Horizon Chase 2 (PS5) - May 30
• Potion Permit: Complete Edition (PS5, PS4) - May 30
• Umbraclaw (PS5, PS4) - May 30
• Skald: Against the Black Priory (PC) - May 30
• Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip (PC) - May 30
• F1 24 (PS5, PS4) - May 31
• Skeler Boy (PS5, PS4) - May 31

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Indie Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

Digital Cybercherries is small development team who clearly had a vision for their product. Unfortunately, outside of its premise, Hypercharge: Unboxed really doesn’t do anything to make it stand out from the crowd.

It's a good time to be a PlayStation fan. Sony has their Days of Play celebration which includes sales, specials, and is currently happening. Their State of Play which premiered on 5/30/24 sadly didn’t have much in the way of Furry related titles(Thank you Daxel for letting me know). That said, there’s still plenty for gaming furs to appreciate. 

Sly Cooper the Thievious Racoonis, the first game in the Sly Cooper series, is being added to the PS2 classics catalog for Plus members on June 11. 

Additionally, a number of games have gone on sale! Until 6/12, a selection of premium titles can be found for good prices. Including several Jackbox party packs and bundles.

Notable games such as: 

• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 $49.69($69.99) 
• Jedi: Fallen Order $9.99($39.99)
• It Takes Two $11.99($39.99) for both PS4 and 5

Games of furry interest include:

• God of War Ragnarok $39.89($69.99) - PS5($29.99 instead of $59.99 on PS4)
• ARK: Survival Ascended $35.99($44.99)
• Mortal Kombat 1 $27.99 for Premium($69.99)
• Diablo IV Standard $34.99($69.99)
• Monster Hunter World & Rise $9.99 ea($19.99 for World, $39.99 for Rise. Expansions available for extra)
• Skyrim Anniversary Edition $16.49($49.99)
• theHunter: Call of the Wild $7.49($29.99)
• Bluey: The Videogame $31.99($39.99) 
• Overcooked: All you can eat $15.99($39.99)
• Smalland: Survive the Wilds $23.44($34.99)
• Stellaris Console Edition $17.99($59.99)
• TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Dimension Shellshock $5.99($7.99)
• Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy $14.99($59.99)
• PAW Patrol World $27.99($39.99)
• PAW Patrol: Grand Prix $17.99($29.99)
• Unicorn Overlord Monarch Edition $52.99($69.99)
• PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay $14.99($29.99)
• Gigantosaurus the Game $12.49($24.99)
• Toss! $11.99($19.99) 
• The Longest Road on Earth $4.99($9.99)

And MANY more! Happy shopping!

MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!

Come join Bearly and Taebyn as they visit with Flecko the Fennec.  Flecko is a self sufficient furry who lives off the grid.  We talk about how he chose this life, how it affects him, and learn about becoming one with nature.  

This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.

Support the show

Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.

You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com

Special Episode - Spotlight on Flecko the Fennec

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom released on May 12, 2023, almost a year ago as of the time of this writing. And before it, Breath of the Wild on March 3, 2017. Both games released to major acclaim and both have left their marks on gaming history. Yet, Tears of the Kingdom ultimately didn’t have the same impact as its predecessor.

以茶會毛工作團隊在4月13、14兩日，於高雄市立圖書館總館辦理《以茶會毛2024冒險盛宴》，共有1096位報名參加，也是目前台灣首次在圖書館舉辦獸文化相關活動的首例。本次活動亦與高雄市世界圖書日活動合作，據高雄市立圖書館方統計，共有25307人次到場。

本次活動共有349隻毛毛到場出席。 圖／以茶會毛攝影師 企鵝

本次活動主題以冒險者RPG為出發點，而主辦單位在總館一樓廣場設置許多委託單，讓參加者能夠領取任務累積積分拚取各職業的第一名，以獲得特殊稱號和獎盃。同時，官方與高雄捷運、Larp宗親會團隊、練弓房 射箭空間等多個單位合作，讓參加者們更加投入本次主題之餘，可以到各地點去解任務並實際支持這些團隊。

活動合作單位之一的練弓房，提供參加者射箭體驗。圖／沃斯特 提供

本次活動將以往不對外開放的舞台活動與販售場設置在一樓的廣場，讓一般民眾也能現場觀看由參加者們帶來的表演，以及購買創作者們提供的各式商品。除此之外，以茶會毛官方也在活動前與高雄市立圖書館總館共同舉辦伴讀活動，讓毛毛們跟小朋友一起閱讀繪本，進而推廣毛毛文化。

販售場有許多種類商品，圖為繪師天犬正在繪製簽繪板。圖／藍風攝

講座部分除了邀請導盲犬協會宣傳導盲犬的事情外，今年更邀請資深繪師兼獸裝扮演者B.Cat分享關於接觸毛毛這十年來的經驗，吸引許多人在台前聆聽。

今年導盲犬協會也在台上演講，並讓參加者上台體驗。圖／伊爾攝

對於本次活動更改舉辦場地的決定，主辦人冰羽貓在受訪時表示，由於原先合作飯店方出現一些問題，為了讓參加者能有更好的活動體驗，因此在多方地點視察後，認為圖書館總館腹地寬廣，並且周遭有可以住宿的地方，才定案在此進行本屆活動。

主辦表示一樓廣場空間足夠容納多人，可進行舞台與販售會等活動。圖／藍風攝

冰羽貓也表示，以茶會毛跟其他獸文化活動如獸無限、FurMIT最大的不同，就是以茶會毛是以「毛場」為主要核心，希望參加者跟毛毛們能在公眾場合下與民眾交流，並向大眾推廣獸文化。

圖為毛毛天墨與小女孩抱抱的畫面。圖／藍風攝

對於活動部分，參加者巧克布表示對於本次咖啡廳的活動與食物感到滿意，不過販售會的場地狹小表示會影響到動線；參加者辣辣也表示販售會的攤位較少，也認為開幕入場流程有需要改善。

本次咖啡廳由獅小波、湯包等人負責製作餐點。圖／藍風攝 本次提供的餐點照。圖／藍風攝

對於本次活動發生如工作人員不足、部分活動細節不完美等問題，冰羽貓受訪時表示，由於臨時更換地點，導致活動籌備時間只有大約三個月的時間，因此在活動流程只能盡力去重新規劃，讓活動能順利推出。而對於市長來訪，冰羽貓也表示收到此消息是在活動前三天，因此也是緊急跟相關人員和高雄市圖書總館進行協調，才能讓活動能順利進行。

團隊Wannabeast在毛毛捷運活動表演前舞台旁舉著旗幟。圖／藍風攝

活動閉幕式的最後，以茶會毛團隊也公布2025年的活動主題為《百毛夜行》，針對訂定這個主題的原因，冰羽貓表示主題發想是源於日本古代百鬼夜行的故事。內容提到妖怪和人類生活的地方，其實是相互重疊的，只是人類是在白天活動，而妖怪們則是在晚上活動，到了某天妖怪們聚集在一起行動進而變成大規模夜間遊行。百毛夜行也代表著毛毛其實跟日常生活也是重疊的，大家都各自生活，而屆時在以茶會毛2025-百毛夜行之日，希望讓百毛們聚集到高雄進行夜晚的大遊行，就是這個主題的主軸。

Another artist we met at Furry Weekend Atlanta works in an altogether different media: Carved wood puzzles. Scrolling Fantasy creates intricate wooden puzzles in a wide variety of designs — animals and otherwise. They proudly proclaim that their creations a made using a scroll-saw and staining — no computers or laser cutters involved. Their designs come from in house and every corner of the globe. Look at their web site to see what we mean.

image c. 2024 by Scrolling Fantasy

Our staff searched through the Steam Open World Survival Crafting Fest games and found the games that feature furries, animals, or other little creatures we think you'd find intriguing! Peruse our list below and see if there are any that pique your interest.

• Don't Starve Together - Spider Skin, Woodie (Weremoose, Werebeaver, Weregoose), Lots of Furry Player Mods
• Void Train - Rofleemos (Little fuzzy helpers)
• Dead Event - Insectoids/aliens (Player)
• Doomed Lands - Pets
• Wrong World - uh furry creature? (Player)
• Dinos Reborn - Dinos
• Twilight Tails - Raccoon (Player)
• Guardians of the Sanctree - Anthro Birds (Players)
• Multiplayer Werewolves - Werewolves
• Animallica - Animals
• Zero-based World - Dinos/animals (Rideable)
• Stallion Squad - Animal Masks
• Under a Rock - Mounts/Pets
• Ancestors - Apeoids Evolving (Player)
• The Survivalists - Monkey Companions
• Lilith Odyssey - Alien (Player)
• Little Hats - Animal Companions
• Karagon - Dino Mechs

This week Valraven played Werewolf: The Apocalypse, The Wolf's Hunt, and Wolf Souls! (May 21, 2024)

Valraven with the Uncivil Gamers Stream team is on a mission to play EVERY Wolf Game on Steam! Every week she'll choose at least one game that features or includes a wolf or werewolf! Then, the day after she'll give her likes and dislikes of each! Tune in every week at 8 PM CT on her Twitch channel, Twitch.tv/The_Valraven!

TigerTails Radio Season 15 Episode 29. Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. If you like what we do and wish to throw some pennies our way to support us, please consider sending a little tip our way. https://streamlabs.com/tigertailsradio/tip * Please note, tips are made to support TigerTails Radio and are assumed as made with good faith, so are therefore non-refundable. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Sponsor Card for Dragon Roast Coffee, featuring Abbey the Feline (@nim856) First featured in Episode 127, “Artist Interview! w/Weka” https://youtu.be/rlu0QgzjiYE Dragon Roast Coffee is our first official sponsor! Use code "RACCBREW" to save 15% off your order! https://www.dragonroast.coffee Voiceover: @_toyboxx_ Filming/Editing/Music: @BanditTheRaccoon See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDen.com FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/TheRaccoonsDen TWITTER: http://www.Twitter.com/TheRaccoonsDen FURAFFINITY: http://www.FurAffinity.net/user/TheRaccoonsDen INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/TheRaccoonsDen #TheRaccoonsDen #DragonRoastCoffee #FurryFandom

You’re the proud new purveyor of fresh creations on the local market scene with your fixed up Caravan in 5 Lives Studios’ new Early Access release, Cozy Caravan. This is a single player “cozy” casual indie game in which you explore, gather, complete little fetch quests, and other easy-going activities in an attempt to raise your “Happiness” level and upgrade your caravan and cooking abilities while interacting with the local fauna (your townmates!) The game is currently in Early Access with a roadmap to add more throughout the year and plenty of communication through their social channels. I got to spend a few hours with the lovely townsfolk of this world, so here are my thoughts as the game currently stands!

Katy Lipscomb is an artist we met at Furry Weekend Atlanta. We were immediately impressed with her use of color while working in a variety of media. “Whether finding color in the most unexpected places or finding magic in the smallest of moments, Katy has always had an artistic eye for the world around her. Now, acting as the head of her own design firm, Katy shares the creatures she creates on almost every platform imaginable, from Children’s Books to Augmented Reality.” Her web site includes a store with lots of her art available in prints, on stickers, and as a very wide variety of illustrated bookmarks.

image c. 2024 by Katy Lipscomb

Papapbear,

Why am I bullied and BARKED at by everybody else in 5th grade? When I walk in the halls, why does everyone glare at me and gossip behind my back? Why am I always last to be picked for gym class for a team? Why do I feel useless and incapable because people say so? Why do I feel so weak when I cant say "stop it" to their faces? Am I in the wrong?

Sawyer (age 11)

* * *

Dear Sawyer,

If you are experiencing serious bullying at school, you need to inform the school administration and, if you haven't already, your parents. They need to put a stop to it. Here is a useful resource page from KidPower that you and your parents should read about the problem.

But that is mostly about what to do if you are bullied. The answer to the question "Why am I being bullied?" probably has something to do with your being a furry (I'm guessing this because you are being barked at). In a world where it has definitely become uncool for kids to bully others because of things like their race or being LGBTQ (although it, of course, still happens), furries are one of the last groups of people that our culture seems to feel is okay to torment for being different. All kinds of stupid rumors are being spread (mostly by conservatives trying to make a non-issue a political issue for their campaigns of hate) against furries these days such as the idea that furries demand cat litter boxes in school bathrooms (not true) or that they growl at and bite kids in the hallways.

Humans hate people who are different--and furries are definitely different. It's ingrained in their DNA. So, when they are not allowed to hate black people or Jewish people or even gay people, they will continue to look for someone to hate for no reason other than they are different. Lucky for the haters, there are furries! We are people they don't understand at all, and what humans don't understand, they fear, and what they fear, they hate.

So, that is why you are being bullied.

What do you do about it? In addition to reading the link I sent, what you need is to beef up your self-confidence, your self-esteem, and, while you're at it, your courage and physical strength. People (especially school kids) prey on the weak. So, don't be weak (easier said than done, I know, but you can do it). I suggest you take up martial arts or boxing or wrestling. Learn to defend yourself. Kids are less likely to mock you if you're capable of giving them a roundhouse kick to the face. That's not to say you should beat people up. No. Violence should only be a last resort when you have to defend yourself from harm. But if people KNOW you can kick their ass, they are less likely to mock you. I would hope you would never have to use such skills, but that doesn't mean they are a waste to learn. Martial arts are a great way to improve your health and flexibility, which is pawsome for you in any circumstance.

In addition to this, you need to build your confidence. Being good at self-defense does this, truly, but there are other ways. Here are some tips:
​

1. Stay away from negative people in your life. Anyone who puts you down, whether that is people at school, other friends, family members, etc. is not helping you. People who belittle you, tell you you are not good enough, tell you you are not "living up to your potential" or "need to do better" are just dragging you down. Avoid them. There will always be haters, so don't let them define you. Haters are pathetic people who can only feel good about themselves by putting others down, so why would you want their approval? They are bad people. Who needs them? Parents can, sadly, be as bad as haters by making you feel you are not good enough. Why they do this is a huge letter in itself, but to be brief, it is a big lesson to learn that we don't need to please our parents and live up to their expectations. It's your life, not theirs. Just be a good person. Nothing else really matters, including what career path you take.
2. At the same time, keep people close to you who offer you support and love (hopefully, family members are included in that, but friends are often as good as family). They don't have to be "yes men" and agree with you all the time, but they do need to be on your side.
3. Find things you are good at and focus your heart and soul on them, whether that is music or drawing or sport or hobbies or whatever. Becoming really good at something because you are devoted to it and enjoy it will boost your self-esteem tremendously.
4. Avoid putting yourself down. If you say negs like "I'm dumb," "I'm ugly," "I'm weak," they will drag you down.
5. Replace the negs with positive affirmations. Each day, say something nice about yourself, whatever that might be, while looking in the mirror. Doing this in the morning is a good idea, but any time of day works. It can be a simple thing like, "You took a really nice photo of that bird today" or something deeper like "You're a good person and always try to do the right thing." If you keep affirming your value daily, it will boost your self-esteem immensely. You see, you need approval from yourself as much (or more) than from other people.
6. Don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different; everyone has good and bad points; there will always be someone better at something than you are (and there will always be someone worse, so don't be mean, either). 
7. Don't obsess on the past. Think of what you are doing now and what you can do in the future. If you've made mistakes (who hasn't?) it's okay, as long as you learn from them and move on.

I hope this little pep talk has helped. Always remember: This is YOUR life. As long as you are not hurting anyone, do what you wish. You're only 11 and have a lot to explore. This is an incredible, complex, bizarre, frustrating, joyful world, and it is yours to live in. It's for you to grab the reins and go for a ride. You own this horse, kid, so enjoy it.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear​

When the Quest Premiered back in 2019, Moss was one of the original games available upon release date. It came out to rave reviews for the time and one of the must haves for the sadly short lived console. So while it is an older game, it's still available on Steam, Oculus Store, Pico Store and Playstation VR 1 & 2.

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Come have some furry fun with Taebyn, Rayne and Bearly.  This is the last episode of Season 4 (although we didn’t realize it when we recorded!).  So many bad jokes and puns rear their existence in this episode. We just can’t help ourselves. We do a little bit more math and Taebyn gives us new affirmations from a raccoon. We hear a movie review by our cinema expert Cheetaro, and mostly have a great visit. So tune in and join us for a funtacular good time.

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Bearly Furcasting S4E49 - Life in the Fluff Lane

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